<a
href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/"></a> Brick Mansions(English) Rating: * ½ The last movie
Paul Walker completed before his accidental death, this film appears to be just
another filler and brand extension for the next in the Fast and Furious line-up
that made him a star!

English Film Review

Johnson Thomas

Film: Brick Mansions

Cast: Paul Walker, Robert Maillet, RZA, Carlo Rota,
Dabid Belle

Director: Camille Delamarre

Rating: * ½

‘Brick Mansions’ is not much of a swan song for
recently deceased Paul Walker , there’s the partially complete, and far more
befitting F&F 7 coming up for that. This one may at best be considered a
career filler, one that extends the F&F brand without doing as much for
your entertainment or enjoyment.

In a future
where Detroit's most dangerous criminals occupy the city's deserted brick
mansions, an undercover cop joins forces with an ex-convict to defeat the
notorious drug kingpin who has taken the mayor hostage. Detroit has fallen to
crime, and in an effort to contain it, authorities have sealed up the inner
city with a massive wall. Once you're inside, you never get out. Lino(David
Belle) is the ex-con who's trying to make a dent on drug lord Tremaine(RZA) ’s
business and for that he has to contend with his girlfriend Lola’s abduction. Undercover
cop Damien Collier (Paul Walker) is sent in to find the nuclear device that was
stolen by Tremaine. Things hot-up and there’s enough reason for racy action.

The best set-piece though was Lino’s escape act
straight after he messes with Tremaine’s consignment of drugs. It’s
breathtaking and scintillatingly performed and Parkour star David Belle makes
it all look strikingly easy. Thereafter there’s nowhere for the film to go.
Every action set-piece after that looks a bit clumsy and oafish. Paul Walker
can’t really match-up either in action or acting skills and looks pretty
distant throughout. The FX is also not as seamless as one would expect from an
all-out actioner. Stunt choreography is also limiting except for the Parkour
act. The jump cuts and the dropped frames give the stunt choreography a certain
edge but it’s just not enough to lift up the kinesis. Director Camille
Delamarre teams with screenwriter Luc Besson for this American remake of the French actioner District B13. But this is
not one of Besson’s better efforts for sure. Seems more like a redundant one to
me!